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February 10 Macedonia and Alexander
Ancient Mediterranean World pg. 101-109
The Macedonian Conquerors
In 359 BCE, its new king, Philip II, reformed the army and embarked on a program
of imperialist expansion, conquering neighbouring peoples including some Athenian
allies and colonies
Equipped the infantry phalanx with a long pike called a sarisa
The Athenians were preoccupied with problems closer to home and unable to
convince other Greek cities to join in an alliance against Philip
Didnt mount a resistance until 341 BCE, but were defeated by Philip in 338 BCE
In 339 BCE, the Greek cities jointly agreed to an alliance with Macedonia and
appointed Philip their leader
Philip proclaimed his intention to lead them in a war of revenge against Persia, but
was assassinated in 336 BCE
Alexander the Great
Alexander III was just twenty years old when he became king
Began his reign by crushing a revolt of the city of Thebes and enslaving its
population
334 BCE he began the Eastern campaign that his father had planned,
crossing the Hellespont with an army of about 50,000 troops
Defeated the Persian army
332 BCE he marched to Egypt, which surrendered without resistance
There he founded Alexandria, which would become the Mediterranean worlds
most populous of cities and one of the main centres of Greek culture
He occupied the great cities of Babylon and Susa
Alexander continued marching east, through what is now Afghanistan,
defeated the Indian king, and was approaching the Ganges river when his
troops refused to march further
www.notesolution.com Alexander turned back
Alexander died in 323 BCE in Babylon, at 33 years old
Alexanders military achievement was extraordinary
With a relatively small army he had conquered the worlds largest
empire and had marched through lands virtually unknown to the
Greeks
The Hellenistic Kingdoms
Alexanders kingdom did not survive his death
His generals divided it among themselves
Three large kingdoms emerged that comprised most of the Greek world in the
Hellenistic period
1. Seleucus and his descendants ruled over Asia Minor, Syria, and the
eastern part of the empire
2. Antigonus and his descendants ruled over Macedonia and northern Greece
3. Ptolemy and his descendants ruled over Egypt
Later, the Parthians began a long campaign of expansion that eventually
conquered much of Syria
By 100 BCE, Parthia ruled most of the former territory of the Persians and
Seleucids as far as the Euphrates river
Greeks and Natives
The most important cities founded by Alexander were Alexandria on the Nile
Delta, Seleucia on the Tigris river, and Antioch on the Orontes river in Syria
Many of the earliest foundations were military colonies, settled by soldiers
from Alexanders army
In centuries that followed, the new cities attracted settlers from Greece and
Macedonia, and developed bodies of citizens organized into demes and tribes
as well as councils and assemblies
Built the public buildings that defined the Greek way of life: theatres,
temples
Scholars debate the effects of Hellenization on the native populations of the
Greco-Macedonian kingdoms
www.notesolution.com Some argue that the Greek and native populations were segregated
from one another, with little social or cultural mixing
Others point out the substantial evidence for intermarriage between
Greeks and natives, arguing that the participation of natives in
government is well attested
The problem of language in the Hellenistic world is equally complicated
Greek became the dominant literary and administrative language
A standard form of Greek called koine (common) developed
However, the native languages of the Near East continued in use
The two most important languages were Aramaic (a Semitic language) and
Egyptian
Most of the high-administrative posts were reserved for Greeks, but the lower-
ranking officials could be Greek or natives who had learned Greek
Overall, the Hellenic minority tended to be wealthier, more urban, and more
educated than non-Greeks, and the Greeks considered themselves superior
to the non-Greek population
Religion in the Hellenistic World
Greek-style temples were constructed to traditional Hellenic gods
The cities all had their own Greek religious festivals
At the same time, the worship of native Near Eastern gods continued in much
the same way as before
The Hellenistic kings paid for renovations to the temples of the most
important native gods, and their priesthoods continued to function
Strange combinations of Greek and native ideas developed
Judaism in the Second Temple Period
Second Temple Period: period from the return of the Babylonian exiles to
Judah, when Solomons temple was rebuilt, to the temples destruction by the
Romans in 70 CE
The Jewish State
www.notesolution.com After Alexander conquered the Persian Empire, Judah was politically subject to
either the Seleucids or the Ptolemies
In 166 BCE, the Seleucids were in control when Judah Maccabee and his
brothers led a revolt
The cause of the revolt was the Seleucid kings insults to Jewish religion:
pillaged the Temple of Jerusalem, occupied the city with troops, forbade the
practice of Jewish law, and installed images of the Greek gods in the Temple
of Jerusalem
Revolt of the Maccabees resulted in the establishment of an independent
kingdom of Judah in 141 BCE
Judaism and Hellenism
Since the Babylonian exile, Jewish communities could be found in cities
throughout the eastern Mediterranean, called diaspora
Septuagint : Jewish bible translated into Greek
The Jewish people had a well-developed cultural tradition and a strong sense
of ethnic identity
Readings
Demosthenes, 3 Philippic
Philip has been committing hostilities against Greece even after the peace
treaty has been signed
The main reason the Athenian affairs have been brought to inattention and
negligence is because orators have been studying to please the public
instead of informing them
Because of this, Philip has been able to say and do what he pleases
At the same time Philip has been capturing cities and invading Athenian
dominion, Athenians havent acted for fear of being accused of kindling war
Instead of blindly believing that Philip comes in peace, the people of Athens
should wake up and realize what he brings with him are instruments of war,
capable of conquering them all
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